Written for presentation at the 1998 ASAE Annual International Meeting Sponsored by ASAE

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Orlando, Florida

July 12-16, 1998

A comparison of two existing odor control treatments on dairy farms in NY shows the costs and benefits of each system. On one dairy farm an anaerobic digester is used to stabilize the manure and collect methane for the production of electricity. The effluent is then separated. The solids are sold, and the liquid effluent is then land applied. The other dairy farm uses a wetland treatment system. This farm uses flushing to carry the manure to shallow ponds for solid settling. The solids are recovered for off site sale. The liquid effluent is treated in a facultative lagoon. The effluent from the lagoon is recycled for use as the liquid for flushing the barn and land applied. These systems have different costs, nutrient utilization and management concerns. Both of these systems achieve significant odor control and are feasible alternatives for dairy farms.